Computer Applications in Spacecraft Design and Operation

The advantages of computer-aided systems in spacecraft design, manufacture and operation are now widely recognized. Computers are indispensable in every field of activity relating to spacecraft, from the initial conceptual design and feasibility study to the actual construction and launch into space, with the subsequent operation being controlled from ground stations. This book contains the edited version of some of the papers on topics in spacecraft design and operation presented at the first international conference on Computer Aided Design, Manufacture and Operation in the Aeronautics and Space Industries (COMPAS 87), held in Paris, June 1987. The conference was organized by the Computational Mechanics Institute, Southampton, UK, with the support of the US Air Force and the European Office of Aerospace Research and Development (EOARD).